Once Upon a Time
by BrokenClockworkFox
Summary: Tino is a skilled young knight, sent to kill a fearsome dragon by the king. But things don't turn out at all like he had expected... ( Lame summary is lame ) Dragon!Sweden x Knight!Finland
1. Chapter 1

Once upon a time, there was a young knight. The king told the knight that if he were to slay a fearsome dragon and return with the shiniest piece from its hoard, he would allow him to marry one of his beautiful daughters. Little did the knight know… that this quest would lead him down a path he never expected to tread.

* * *

Tino nervously stared at the reflection in the mirror, watching as his servant strapped the bulky armor to his body.

How was he going to do it? He had heard many legends of the cruel beast. It lived in a cave beyond the palace, collecting riches and stealing young maidens to be eaten. For many years, it plundered small villages in the area and attained most of its enormous wealth from travelers. The dragon was said to be large and fierce, never hesitating to kill or destroy. Tino was young, and though he was talented, he wasn't sure he could face something like that.

"Sir Tino…?"

Tino snapped back to reality and realized his servant had long since finished. He took a deep breath, adjusting the heavy armor. "Thank you Emil." He smiled weakly at the boy. "You may go now." Without any hesitation, Emil started for the door and Tino was left alone.

His journey began at that moment. It began with another deep breath and the incredible heaviness in the knight's feet as he moved to where his sword rested. He took the blade into his hand, examined it, and then gently sheathed it. The knight turned and exited his room, barely making a sound as he swept down the hall and to the stairwell. His limbs felt like they were made of lead, but he continued. It was his duty, and he couldn't betray his king just because he was a bit frightened. He pushed open the doors leading to the courtyard and made his way to where Emil stood with his horse.

"I spent all morning getting her ready." Emil handed over the reins and stepped back. For a moment Tino could only stand and try to process what the boy had said. Then he nodded, smiled at him, and climbed onto his horse's back. "Good luck." And those were the last words the knight heard before he set off.

* * *

Tino knew he was getting close when he could _smell_ the stench of decay permeating the air around the dragon's lair. It made him sick, and his horse refused to go farther. He slid off of her back with a soft grunt. "You don't have to come with me." He patted her side and smiled softly. The horse was uncomfortable, he could tell. But that didn't matter at the moment. With one hand on his sword, he crept deeper into the suffocating stench and searched for the entrance.

It wasn't long until he found it. Though mostly hidden by vines and shrubs, the mouth of the cave was relatively easy to find. It was carved into the side of a small hill and looking inside, Tino could see that the passage curved down and continued farther beneath the surface. It wouldn't be hard to get down, and it would be even easier to get back out. Hesitantly, Tino stepped inside and made the descent. As he reached the bottom, he noticed that the path split. Examining both paths carefully, he noticed one smelled of rot, and a few gold coins littered the second. He decided to take the path with the coins and quietly crept on. But the farther he went, the darker it got. Sunlight didn't reach that far underground.

"Damn… I'll need a torch." Tino cussed quietly to himself. As he was about to turn back, he heard scraping and the sound of tumbling rocks from the entrance. Something was definitely inside and Tino doubted it was his horse. Consumed with fear, he raced down the dark corridor and farther away from the entrance. But as he was running, he felt the ground give way beneath his feet and he stumbled forward. Another slope. He quickly caught himself and continued running. There was the flickering of light in the distance. Just around a corner, he could see it. He stopped for a few moments to catch his breath then turned the corner. In one corner there was a huge fire created by what looked like tree branches and in the other… a huge mountain of gold, silver, bronze, copper, gems and minerals, along with intricate little pieces like vases and jeweled boxes. Tino gasped quietly, forgetting all about his close encounter with the dragon and stepping out into the light. He had never seen so much gold in one place before. It was amazing. The hard part would be finding a piece to take back to the king! They were all so lovely he would have trouble picking just one.

In a few steps, he was already treading on stray coins, and in a few more steps he was standing completely on gold. He leaned down to pick up a small box. When he opened the lid, he could instantly tell that the box was not from his kingdom. There were small words on the inside that he couldn't read. Whatever it was, it was in a completely different language.

Behind him, Tino heard scrabbling and scratching coming from the exit. The only exit. He dropped the box, his instincts pushing him to hide. He fled around one side of the gold, dropping down onto his hands and knees and hoping that it wouldn't see him until he could prepare himself. There was a moment of silence, then a soft _pit pat_ that Tino guessed was the dragon's claws against the stone floor. The sound went in the direction of the flames, stopped, and then there was a loud _crack_ that Tino couldn't identify. The knight took a deep breathe, and then unsheathed his sword. He wanted to at least get a good look at the dragon before recklessly jumping out. Tino crawled slowly around one edge of the hoard. At first all he could see was a long blue tail, then the translucent wings folded neatly at its sides, then its head. He breathed in sharply. The dragon's muzzle was stained with blood, and the carcass of his horse was at its feet. He cussed quietly. His quick escape was gone. Plus, he had been fond of that horse.

As he was about to start in the dragon's direction, a wave of panic crashed over him. He realized the gravity of the situation and he was having trouble moving any farther. His heart was beating so fast, it almost hurt. Gathering all of his courage, he got to his feet. He gripped the handle of his sword tightly and took a few steps toward the monster that stood before him.


	2. Chapter 2

**Urrhurrdurr DX Sorry this update was so late, I've really been caught up in school. It's just the beginning of the year but everything is so difficult! Anyway, here, have this horribly written completely useless fanfic:**

* * *

Tino made a mental note of how stupid it was to come unprepared. He didn't know what he was doing. He was scared, too. But he took another step, making sure to be as quiet as possible. His eyes never strayed from the dragon, even as it continued to devour his poor horse. But as an expensive-looking vase toppled to the ground and shattered, and the dragon turned its head to meet his gaze with those piercing blue-green eyes, Tino began to feel faint. He wasn't close enough to do anything. His plan wouldn't work from that distance. Tino froze. The dragon blinked and slithered closer. Tino took a step back. For a moment they just stared at each other. Neither of them moved. With the dragon's enormous head only feet away, Tino could see how milky those seemingly bright eyes were. This thing looked almost blind. But at that distance it must have seen him. So why wasn't it attacking? He gripped his sword as tightly as he could. Maybe if the beast made a move, he could finally pull himself together and fight back.

Everything he read about dragons suddenly flashed through his head. Weaknesses: The soft leathery skin that lined the dragon's belly and neck, the few moments between when a dragon could release its flame, and the eyes. Those beautiful eyes. Tino caught that thought and quickly expelled it from his mind. His job was to kill it, not admire it.

The dragon started to lift its head, and he snapped back to reality and swiftly raked his blade across its scaly cheek. Even though Tino had put all of his power behind the move, it barely left a scratch. He leaped backwards, putting distance between himself and the monster. The dragon made a soft sound and rubbed its cheek against the ground, as if it was actually in pain. But even after this, it did not attempt to attack him. Was it trying to lull him into a false sense of security? He held his sword out in front of him. That wasn't going to happen. He would target the soft spot beneath the dragon's jaw, which would be easy if he could only get close enough. The creature had to hold his head close to the ground to see the knight anyway. Tino let a faint smile turn up the corners of his mouth. It wasn't as hopeless as it had seemed only moments ago. He leaped to the side, running as quickly as he could in the bulky armor. His goal was only a few meters away. The dragon was to slow to react at first, and Tino was preparing for the final blow when it finally whipped its head around and knocked him away. His sword skidded far out of reach. Tino sat up, his eyes wide with fear. The dragon whined quietly and lowered its head again. It didn't make a move. It didn't move at all.

"What are you doing?" Tino asked. The dragon still didn't move. Tino slowly got to his feet. Still as ever. "Stop." Tino commanded. It wasn't normal. Was it just going to stand there the whole time?! What happened to those horrible stories about death and destruction? This thing acted harmless!

"N'."

What was that? It sounded like 'no' and it came directly out of the dragon's throat. Tino took a step back in his surprise. "What?"

"N'." It repeated. "I d' n't w'nt t' hurt y'."

Tino cocked his head. "Why not? I was sent here to kill you…" He must have been going crazy. Surely this thing wasn't actually _speaking_ to him.

The dragon moved, as if he were shrugging. It was a 'he', definitely. The voice was to deep to be anything else.

"I don't trust you." Tino glanced over at his sword. It was to far to reach. He bit his lip. What could he do?


	3. Chapter 3

**So this chapter was obviously a bit rushed. I started it the same day the previous chapter was uploaded, and finished it only a few hours later. Still, I think the quality is okay for something I made so quickly. Hope you enjoy~**

* * *

"Why should I trust you? You killed all those people, how am I different from them?" Tino asked.

"Y' 're m' w'fe." The dragon responded. It took Tino a moment to piece together its broken words, but when it finally clicked he felt his cheeks heat up.

"Hey, I'm a man! Even if you were human I wouldn't be your wife!" He shouted. Oh how embarrassing! Did he really look that feminine? Well… the dragon was pretty blind that could be the reason. Yeah. Hehe.

"Oh." The dragon blinked. "Wh'ts y'r n'me?" It asked, settling down on the floor.

Tino was quiet for a moment. What was going on? It really wasn't going to kill him, was it? All it wanted was a conversation. "Uhm… Tino Väinämöinen. Do you have a name?" He got into a more comfortable position in the floor as he waited for an answer.

"B'rw'ld 'xenst'rna."

"What?"

The dragon cleared his throat, making the knight cringe. "Berwald…. Oxenstierna." He spoke so slowly in order to fix the broken speech that Tino actually found it annoying. It also wasn't the name he was expecting. It sounded so… normal. Other than accusing him of being his wife and being a dragon, Berwald acted normal too. It felt strange to Tino and it only made him more suspicious.

"How can you speak? Where did you learn?" Tino asked.

Berwald was silent. He made no effort to say anything. His jaws were clamped shut. Tino was quiet too. He was waiting for a response, and if the dragon didn't give one then he had a good reason to believe that something was up.

"I knew it! You're trying to come up with some lie right now aren't you?" Tino shot to his feet, poking Berwald's nose in triumph. He had no idea how or why he had done that without getting his hand chomped off, but it seemed to have some effect on the dragon. Oh. Wait. He was laughing. Berwald was laughing at him. Tino felt his cheeks flush with embarrassment for the second time. "Don't laugh!" He shrieked in frustration. That only made the dragon laugh harder. His milky blue-green eyes closed and the corners of his mouth turned up in the faintest of smiles. "Stop it!" Berwald's laughter slowly came to a stop as he realized the knight really was getting angry at him. He let out what could be a sigh and stood up to his full height, his horns almost brushing the ceiling.

"Br'ng s'me hum'n cl'thes 'nd I'll 'xpl'n 'veryth'ng." Tino took a moment to piece it together. 'Bring some human clothes and I'll explain everything' was what he came up with. Got it.

"The only way I can return to the kingdom is if I bring something with me. Otherwise I will be called a coward for returning without killing you." Tino explained.

Berwald nodded toward his enormous collection of gems and gold. Tino could pick anything. The knight understood this gesture, and picked quickly. What he picked up was a jewel encrusted goblet. He could tell it was more decorative than anything but it would work. As he was turning to leave, Berwald stopped him with a swift movement from his tail. The dragon leaned close to the knight's ear.

"You will come back to me." Berwald didn't speak slowly, but the way the words sounded made them clear as day. It sent a shiver down Tino's spine, and all he could do was nod.


	4. Chapter 4

The walk back had been exhausting. But that didn't matter after he arrived at the castle. With all the walking he had done, it must have really seemed like he was in some fierce battle instead of the miniature tooth-pick fight that really took place.

Tino had been holding onto the goblet as if his life depended on it the entire day. His hands were shaky when he finally released it, dropping it into Emil's hands. Most would not give something that important to a servant, but Emil was like his nephew and he trusted him.

"You really came back… without a scratch…" Emil held the goblet to his chest. Tino was kind of surprised by this. It sounded as if Emil didn't expect him to come back at all. His heart sank.

"Of course I did!" Tino grinned and patted the boy on the back. "Now let's give this to the king so I can get some rest." He started in the direction of the door, followed by his servant.

* * *

Tino collapsed in his bed, staring up at the ceiling. He wasn't tired, but he knew he should have been. Those last disturbing words echoed over and over in his head. _"You will come back to me"._ Tino bit his lip. He had no choice but to go back, did he? Berwald was _known_ for being violent, and though he had claimed that he didn't want to hurt him Tino was gripped by fear. Berwald was a killer, and nothing would change that. And if he did not return to Berwald, he may be putting other people in danger as well. Tino covered his face with his hands. He didn't know if he could do it.

And what about 'human clothes'? Tino had no idea what Berwald meant by that. What size would he need anyway? Tino forced himself back up and wandered over to his closet. Would his clothes work? He hoped it would, he didn't want to go out and buy something different. He picked his biggest pair of clothes ( That he often used for pajamas because they were slightly baggy ) just in case and folded it up. He would take it to Berwald soon. When he built up the courage. But he needed to rest. Rest was supposed to make it easier to think clearly, right? Tino curled up beneath the covers, staring at the clothes folded neatly at the foot of his bed. After a few moments, his eyes fluttered closed and he drifted to sleep.

* * *

Tino stood outside the mouth of the cave, hugging the bundle of clothes to his chest. He had waited all day to come back, his nervousness preventing him from doing anything but worry until he finally built up the courage to go… at night. He should have been asleep. Tino let out a tired sigh. He took a few steps forward, finding that after he started walking his anxiety started to fade. Surely Berwald wouldn't hurt him. Right? Well there was no turning back, he was already there.

The climb down felt so much easier without his armor, and Tino made it to the bottom without any real effort. The path was still dark, but he thought he could find his way without a torch. He felt along the wall with one hand as he slowly crept down the tunnel. It felt shorter than before, and when he saw the light at the end it almost felt to soon. As he turned the corner, Berwald's massive blue hide came into view. The fire that only the day before had lit the entire cavern was now small. It threw odd shadows across the mountain of gold, and the entire space seemed darker.

Tino slowly approached Berwald's sleeping form. With each breathe that escaped the dragon's throat, the flame flickered. Tino came to stop only inches from his massive head. He reached out and gently touched his crest. The scales were surprisingly smooth, even though they seemed tattered and dull. He moved his hand to the area behind Berwald's crest. It felt leathery, like the soft spot beneath his jaw. Could he have just discovered another weak area? Before he could come to a conclusion on that, Berwald's crest lifted and he emitted a deep thrumming sound like a cat's purr, only much much stronger. Tino smiled and scratched the leathery area as if he were petting a dog. The purr got a bit louder and Berwald shifted, opening one eye to watch the knight with an amused smile. The look made Tino nervous, and he let his hand fall to his side.

"I-I'm sorry…" Tino took a step back and clutched the bundle of clothes closer to his chest. Berwald thought that was adorable.

"Mm… it's f'ne." He closed his eyes and let out a soft yawn, revealing rows of sharp teeth. Tino could have picked a more convenient time to show up. Maybe when it was daytime?

"U-Uhm…" Tino held out the bundle. "I brought what you asked for."

* * *

Berwald was human. Well, not really. He had to explain why he was able to take human form even though he _was_ a dragon. And Tino understood. He could definitely see why Berwald would rather take human form to speak to him. It was much easier for him to form words and Tino felt less threatened when he was talking to a person. But that didn't mean he didn't still feel threatened. Berwald, even in human form, was extremely scary. His expression was cold, and it didn't seem to change. But luckily the clothes fit alright. They were a bit tight… not that Tino minded. A wave of shame swept over him and he quickly dispelled that thought and instead concentrated on what the taller man was telling him.

Berwald had already explained how he had learned to speak. As a younger man, his parents lived among humans and forced him to do the same. He was happy, though. Even though he didn't fit in because he was tall, intimidating, and other children found it hard to understand his broken speech. He had his parents, food, and a place to rest and that was all he needed. But when he was finally old enough to break away from his parents he decided to embrace his dragon side and went to live in the forest. That was all he shared about his childhood, and though Tino wanted to ask what happened next, he caught himself. Maybe Berwald didn't want to share.

Next, Berwald explained the part that had frightened Tino in the beginning. The only unclaimed piece of territory Berwald was able to settle in without fighting an older, stronger dragon was the one closest to this kingdom. And it was unclaimed for a reason. The citizens would not tolerate being that close, and he was always being threatened. To show the kingdom he wasn't something they wanted to mess with directly, he often displayed his strength by burning down very small towns and stealing valuables from travelers. This was also how he accumulated an entire hoard on accident. But that strategy worked. There was no way the king would send a large group of knights to slay him. In a worst case scenario they would all be killed and Berwald, feeling as if his existence would be in real danger, would be forced to destroy everything. They were a kingdom in poverty, and they could not defend against a dragon with wings and flame. All they could do was send one knight every few years, silently hoping that they had picked one skilled enough to slay him on their own.

And after listening to the whole story, Tino had no words. Suddenly he found himself siding with Berwald, rather than his own kingdom. He was silent for quite a while. The only sounds were the crackling of the fire and the bats returning from their midnight hunt.

"They will be coming to get your hoard, you know." Of course Berwald knew that. He was intelligent… very intelligent. He had probably planned it that way.

He nodded.

"And they'll find you here."

He shook his head.

Tino tilted his head. "Will you hide?"

"'m c'm'ng w'th y'." Tino pieced together the sounds.

"No, wait, I can't do that!" He protested. "I-I mean, I don't have any extra money to give you to help you find a place to live and if you go into town with these gold coins people will be suspicious!" Tino looked over at the mountain of gold.

"'m g'ng t' l've w'th y'."

Tino was quiet for a moment. What would his friends think? Two men didn't just live together! It was weird and it would freak people out. "But…" He didn't feel like arguing. Berwald could easily make him do whatever he wanted. In both dragon and human form, he was taller and stronger than the scrawny little knight. Tino felt like crying. He didn't know what to do! Berwald _was_ going to end up coming with him and he knew it. What if they caught him? I mean, the fact that they wouldn't find a body in the cave would be alarming. What if they came to question Tino, found Berwald, and eventually figured out what he really was? What if Berwald was actually planning on getting closer to the king through Tino, killing both of them, and destroying the kingdom that way? So much could go wrong…

* * *

**So as you can clearly see, this chapter was made just to explain a bit about why things are the way they are. And it sucks. I was just kind of... winging it. But I hope it makes sense.**

**Anyway, I made a map of Sve's cave just to help myself remember where everything is. I didn't know how to add this into the actual chapter, but there is a ventilation system for the smoke that came from that fire. Just felt like explaining that :D ...**

**Also, I'm thinking about doing fanfic requests. And this is different because I NEVER take fanfic requests. Never, not ever. So... I know my stories aren't that good but maybe I'll get a few, IDK. It must be Hetalia for the moment, and no Country x OC because I would butcher your lovely characters. The first two people to post a review asking for a request will get a oneshot from me :'D and you'll have to find out who got it the next time I post a chapter, where I will list your usernames. Just to build that wonderful suspence.**


	5. Chapter 5

**Well gosh, this is late. I'm not going to give any excuses though. And this chapter is extremely short, but I have a reason for that. I'm planning to make the next chapter longer with a bit of fluff in it as well :I so... sorry about how late and awful this is. Next chapter will be better**

* * *

Tino knew he had lost the argument, and Berwald knew he had won. They had agreed that Tino would come back for him very soon, after he made space in his own home to accommodate the new person that would be living with him. It was stressful at first, but Tino had set everything up in almost two days. He had also restocked his food supply and bought some more blankets and clothes big enough to fit Berwald. Although he wasn't pleased with the arrangement, Tino knew he had to go back and get him before anyone else.

About a day of walking, and they arrived back in town.

"U-Uhm… I did my best but my house is kind of small. Sorry." Tino fumbled with the key. His nervousness was making his fingers shaky. After a few moments of this, Berwald took the key and quickly unlocked the door. Tino's face flushed. "T-Thanks." He pushed the door open, revealing the huge mess inside. Clothes and blankets were strewn all over the floor, and there was a layer of dust on everything. He hadn't had much time to clean and in the few days he had to make space, his things ended up everywhere. "Sorry it's messy…" Tino looked down at the floor in embarrassment.

"Th't's f'ne." Berwald took a look around. It was cluttered, but he didn't mind at all.

"You can sleep in my room." Tino pointed down the hallway. "I can set up in here." He patted a few blankets that were folded up in a chair.

"'re y' s're?" Berwald asked. He didn't want to be a nuisance, and that was what it was starting to feel like.

"Yeah, it's okay." Tino smiled brightly. "Really."

Berwald couldn't argue with that. He simply nodded.

"You can go check it out. The bed should be big enough." Tino draped the blankets over his arm and started clearing out a space in the floor.

Berwald hesitated for a moment, and then stepped over a lump of clothes on his way to the hall.


End file.
